His Mother's Son
by Carcaohtar
Summary: After Fuu's quest ends, Mugen decides to go on a quest of his own. But is the woman he finds really his mother? Jin has his suspicions... COMPLETED.
1. On His Own Again

(Author's Note: This story is set just after the end of episode 26. Not really angst, not really humor, just a neat idea I had. I'll promise not to add a whole crapload of author's notes at the beginning of every chapter if you promise to review.)

* * *

**-His Mother's Son-**

_Chapter One_

The bone was lying between them.

It didn't have much meat on it—just a few sparse strings, covered in grit from the ground. Flies were buzzing around it. But that hardly mattered.

The tan dog's lip quivered as he struggled to keep it raised in a snarl. He could sense his opponent was not weakening. Both kept their bodies tense and their throats in a constant, ferocious rattle. They'd been standing over the bone and growling at each other for nearly ten minutes. The tan dog was starting to wonder if it would be better to go back to town and beg. But last time he'd tried that, he'd been kicked and shouted at and chased away.

Finally, he made his move. He lunged at the bone. His opponent lunged at him, and the two fell to the ground, kicking up the reddish dust of the road as they rolled around.

"Not so tough now, are you?" yelped Mugen as the dog began whimpering. "Son of a bitch!" he exclaimed as the dog bit him.

Mugen and the dog may have been enemies, but both grudgingly recognized their similarities. Both were stray, feral, and tan. Mugen had come from the southern islands of Ryuukuu; the dog had come from a town several miles away. Both were outsiders, both were shunned, and both were hungry.

The dog received a sharp kick to his ribs and decided he'd had enough; Mugen was wearing shoes harder than anything the dog had ever been kicked with.

He squirmed out of Mugen's bear hug and limped away, tail between his legs, casting woeful glances at the bone which he'd gone to great lengths to obtain, only to have stolen from him.

Mugen sat in the middle of the road, his skinny legs stuck out in front of him, and took the bone, gnawing at it happily. The dog sat on the side of the road and watched him miserably.

Mugen sighed contentedly after he'd stripped away the last bits of meat and cast the bone to the side of the road. The dog walked over it to tentatively and sniffed it, but no meat was left, so he turned and left. Mugen, on the other hand, flopped onto his back and put his hands behind his head, feeling an almost-affection for the world.

Mugen was a great believer in freedom, and to him, there was no better sense of it than being able to lie down where ever and whenever he wanted and sleep, preferably with a full stomach. For a long time he'd been fairly independent, wandering from city to city looking for food, girls, and fights. Maybe he'd taken it too far, because after picking one such fight, he'd found himself indentured to a ditzy girl to search for some stupid samurai he didn't know or care about. Her name was Fuu, and Mugen could practically still hear her annoying giggle and see her stupid pink kimono. She wasn't even hot. And then there was Jin, the other guy Fuu had dragged onto her pointless little quest. Not only was he boring, but pompous. Just because he had a stupid samurai kimono with his little ka-mon on it, and his stupid glasses, he thought he was so much better than Mugen. Mugen agreed he could be a pig, but at least he wasn't a _stupid_ four-eyed loser like Jin.

All things considered, thought Mugen, he should be happy to be rid of the two of them. Even though it was harder to come by money, and food, and girls, and rooms, and adventures without Fuu and Jin, he was again his own man. He could do anything he wanted—anything at all!

He crossed his ankles and tapped his foot, dangling his geta toward the ground with his toes.

Yep, anything. Not like Jin and Fuu. Fuu had probably gotten herself kidnapped or something immediately after parting their company, and Jin was probably already miles away, doing something boring. Mugen entertained himself with the thought of Fuu calling her kidnappers jerks, and Jin trying to meditate while his glasses slipped farther and farther down the bridge of his pale nose. What a dork.

Mugen sighed and rolled over, resting his chin on his dusty arms. He heard the sounds of hooves on the road but didn't move.

"Hey! You! Get out of the damn road!"

"Piss off!" snapped Mugen. He could feel his hackles rising.

Behind him, he heard a man getting off his horse. "You looking for a fight, kid?"

"Always am," said Mugen breezily, and he heaved his tired body up to satisfy that craving that never really went away.

* * *

Fuu wasn't sure why she was crying.

Here were the facts: she knew, in her hearts of hearts, she and Jin and Mugen would all go their separate ways eventually. She had found her sunflower samurai, her father. They'd finished their quest, and separated on good terms. The guys hadn't killed each other, anyway. She'd been walking for over two days without them now. And suddenly, out of nowhere, she was crying.

She reached inside her kimono for something to blow her nose with and accidentally used Momo, her squirrel. Momo squealed with rage and scratched her across the nose, which just made Fuu cry harder.

She was sitting on the side of a road lined with rice paddies, on a log which she prayed wasn't home to termites or ants. Through her tears, she watched shapeless forms in wide hats bending over the rice. She sniffled and wondered _why_ she was crying.

She guessed it was the way they parted. They had said good-bye and everything. But in retrospect, she should have thanked them more. She should have hugged them, even though Mugen would have said something snotty and Jin would have gone colder and stiffer than a winter corpse. Maybe she even should have kissed them. (She couldn't even begin to envision their reactions if she'd done that.)

And now—here she started sobbing with renewed vigor—she couldn't. Now it was too late because they were already far, far away. She'd probably never see them again.

"Hey, girly. Why are you crying? Are you hurt?"

Fuu wiped her face hastily on her sleeve and looked up. One of the field workers had come up to her. He was younger and had a nice face under his hat, even though it was smudged with mud.

"No," said Fuu.

"Then why are you crying?"

"Because I've lost someone."

"Then why don't you go find them?"

Fuu was stumped. "Because they're probably already really far away."

"Then why don't you go find them now, instead of crying, since they're getting farther and farther away the longer you wait?"

"I don't know if they want to see me."

"Then why don't you go find them and ask?"

Fuu bit her lower lip. Would Jin and Mugen resent her if she went to all the trouble of tracking them down, just to hug them? It sounded sort of stupid, even to her. But she needed more closure. She couldn't help it. She had formed a very close bond with them, after traveling with them for so many months. She couldn't bear to just leave like this.

"I will!" she declared, standing up determinedly. "Thanks!"

"Sure," said the rice worker; looking confused, he went back to his fields, glancing over his shoulder as Fuu began walking back down the road.

* * *

Jin sat hunched over his sake, surveying the bar quietly over the tops of his glasses when he was sure no one was looking. He was in the Akako Reizei Teahouse, and he was looking for the legendary and possibly mythical Akako Reizei. If the sign told true, Akako Reizei was a beautiful, delicate courtesan. And Jin was in need of some company.

He took a long swig of his drink. Logically, he knew he was being stupid for spending the little money he had left on drinks. But truthfully, he didn't care. He hated to admit it, but after traveling with Fuu and Mugen for months, he'd grown used to their loudness. Walking by himself made him uneasy. It was too quiet. That was one of the reasons he had entered this particular teahouse. As far as he could see, it was the loudest, brightest, most active place in the entire town. And that meant there would be plentiful drinks and plentiful women.

He cast a furtive look over the room while everyone's attention was arrested by two men getting into a fight. He wasn't looking for anything in particular. Just a cute girl. Or a guy in drag. Frankly, he wasn't picky.

He saw only two lookers in the whole crowd, and their attention was being jostled for by a huge group of men. Jin could have taken them, but it wasn't his nature. He wasn't going to cause a scene and cut down a dozen people just for fifteen minutes of pleasure. Thirty, he corrected himself; there were, after all, two of them.

Now, Mugen—Mugen wouldn't even think. He'd just go berserk and kill everyone and drag away his prizes while laughing manically. Jin could picture him swaggering up to the girls right now, and Fuu clinging to his clothes and dragging her heels into the floor trying to stop him. The usual arguments, his deep, suave voice against her sweet, tingly one.

Jin sighed and hunched further over his drink. He never thought he'd build up a reliance on people like this. It just wasn't his nature…

"Hey, pal! Are you just gonna sit there all night?"

Jin looked up at the bartender and imagined Mugen slicing his head off, for no other reason than he wouldn't like the way the bartender was looking at him. "Get me another sake," he mumbled.

"Can you pay for it?"

Jin tossed coins across the counter without making eye contact.

"Pleasure doin' business with you."

* * *

Here was something Mugen didn't understand:

He had just had a very large meal. He'd gotten it after getting into an argument with another guy. The argument had ended with a head rolling across the floor, and the restaurant owner bribing Mugen with food so that he wouldn't cause any more trouble. As he was walking out of the place, a girl came up to him and told him she thought that a man who knew what he wanted, and could get it, was very sexy. They'd had a short fuck in an alleyway, and to top it all off, Mugen had just filched several momne from an unsuspecting passerby. So, in short, his day had fulfilled every item required to make it good: violence, food, sex, and money. Now he was ready for a nap, and was lying on some nice soft grass under a cherry tree, staring up at the blue sky between the pink blossoms and wondering…

Why wasn't he happy?

Normally, after a day like this, he'd have felt great. _Fulfilled. _But he didn't.

He began scratching his ear. Oh, he knew why. It was that stupid girl! Even now that he'd gotten rid of her, she was bringing him down. She'd done that constantly while they were traveling together. He would be having a wonderful time and then _she_ would start in on him. "Mugen, don't kill him!" "Mugen, you're a pig!" "Mugen, stealing's wrong!" She was so whiny… and hypocritical too. If _Jin_ had acted the same way, she probably wouldn't have been so harsh on _him_.

And now she was finally gone and Mugen couldn't even enjoy himself.

He rolled over and snorted quietly to himself, blowing dust up from the ground. He watched sandals passing and thought of his own feet and all the miles they'd walked, just so Fuu could find her stupid samurai. What a stupid quest. Why did she ever care, anyways? If her dad hadn't been there for her, why would she want to go find him, after fifteen freakin' years? Mugen had never known either of his parents and _he_ wasn't whining about it. He didn't remember what either one looked like, and wasn't even sure of his mother's name.

And then the nerve! The nerve of that girl, just leaving after that dragging him on that huge quest, all alone without anything to do! She had been so clingy, but after finding her stupid samurai was so… so content. So fulfilled. Walked away with a new, reborn confidence. Could anyone really make someone else feel so good?

Confusing, thought Mugen, pushing out his upper lip and blowing away a spike of hair that was wilting in front of his face. Maybe he should go on his own crazy, stupid quest. Ha! Wouldn't that be a riot? Him, Mugen, searching for family. He'd never wanted family. He'd never needed family. And they sure didn't want him! And it was probably better that way… what would he say after twenty years? Who knew if they were even alive? Probably back in Ryuukuu. Yeah. No use getting all worked up over something so stupid.

And yet…

No! Mugen shook himself out like a wet dog, propped up his body with his hands, stretched his back luxuriously, and rose. He definitely wasn't gonna get any sleep… he might as well go looking for a fight.

* * *

Fuu paused before the crossroads. She'd been here fours days ago. Mugen had gone _that_ way and Jin had gone _that_ way. So now she needed to make a choice.

"What'd you think, Momo?" she asked.

"Ee," came the sleepy answer from inside her kimono. She looked both ways, trying to get her priorities straight. Jin would probably be less angry to see her again. But then again, Mugen was more likely to walk away from the path, so he'd be harder to find. Jin would follow the road, so Fuu wouldn't have trouble finding him. Actually, now that she thought about it, she wouldn't have trouble finding either. They caused so much commotion where ever they went… well. She'd start with Mugen. He was the bigger wanderer. Better to catch him early and go after Jin later.

She turned down Mugen's fork and began walking. It was a bright day, just like it had been four days ago, when she'd seen Mugen's retreating back for the last time. Red kimono, probably the closest to new clothes he'd ever worn. Hands in his pockets, sword over his back.

She passed by waving fields of grass, shimmery in the sun, and over streams of dancing fish. She felt good. And even better when she smelled food.

"Hi!" said Fuu breathlessly, shoving her face into the narrow window of a rice ball stand that was set up haphazardly at the other end of the bridge. The man sitting at it looked unfriendly; he had dark, glaring eyes, deep-set under bushy eyebrows.

"May I help you?" he demanded gruffy, sounding like he'd rather do anything else.

"I'm looking for a guy, he was wearing a red—"

"I don't sell guys. I sell rice balls. Do you want a rice ball?"

"Yes. But first, have you seen a guy with tattoos on his—"

"Buy a rice ball first."

"Well, I can't _buy_ one, I don't have any money."

"Then I don't have any information. Beat it!"

Fuu scowled. Her good mood had evaporated. She felt Momo stirring in her kimono from all the noise; the squirrely face poked out from between her breasts, and before she could do anything, Momo launched herself at the food.

The man yelled and slammed his fist down, narrowing missing Fuu's pet.

"Don't hurt her!" squealed Fuu, trying to scoop up Momo, who was dashing around trying to cram rice into her cheeks before she was apprehended.

"Enough already!" yelled the man. "First crazy vagabond foreigners and now thief squirrels! Can't a guy sell rice balls anymore?"

"Crazy vagabond foreigners?" cried Fuu. "Wearing red? With spiky hair? Tattoos on his wrist and ankles?"

"You know him?" shouted the man. "He stole nine rice balls from me! I demand compensation!"

"I told you… I don't have money!" cried Fuu desperately. She finally grabbed Momo and crammed her down her front. She gave the man a cute, apologetic smile and then dashed away. He chased her; she had gone at least five blocks before he gave up and trudged away.

_At least I know I'm on the right track! _thought Fuu optimistically. Mugen was probably close by. She'd just follow the trail of thievery, and, why, she'd probably come across him in the next three days! And then, onto Jin! He was probably hanging out in a town. Fuu hoped, at least, that he would manage to suppress his urge to wander in favor of civilization.

She began to walk down the street, swinging her arms happily and looking for any sites of destructions that might imply Mugen's presence.

* * *

"I'm not buying you a drink," said Jin grouchily.

"Come on, big guy," purred the woman next to him. "You look decent enough. Shouldn't you buy a nice sweet lady a drink?"

"I'm not interested," snapped Jin, trying to tug away his arm from her grip without spilling his drink. The woman was old enough to be his mother, for one thing; she had lines around her eyes and a habit of nervous squinting that made her seem shifty. She was wearing a ripped, patched, and threadbare skirt that had only a vague outline of purple and green zigzags left; like the rest of her, it was too worn to be overly flashy. Her hair was pulled back by a scrap of cloth that was in the same zigzag design. It vaguely reminded Jin of something, but he wasn't sure what.

"Aw, c'mon, sure you are. You like older women, don't you? By the way, my name's Shino."

"No it's not. You heard me talking about Shino earlier," snapped Jin.

"Wow, cute _and_ smart! Okay, my real name's Kana. Sorry, what did you say yours was?"

"I didn't."

"Oh. Let me guess! Mariya Kiyoshi!"

"Not even close. And I don't appreciate you eavesdropping on all of my conversations."

"I'd think better if I had a drink."

"I'm _not _buying you a drink."

"So much for the legendary generosity of the samurai," mumbled Kana, finally releasing Jin's arm and pouting. The bartender came over, smirking at Jin's hunched form and Kana's sulky one.

"His name's Jin."

"_Jin_! What a lovely name! Do you come here a lot, Jin?"

"I won't anymore," growled Jin, glaring at the bartender, who winked.

"Would you leave the poor guy alone if I gave you one on the house?" he asked.

"_Would_ I?" repeated Kana, suddenly forgetting all about Jin. He sighed and took a deep draft of his drink.


	2. The Trouble with Kana

_Chapter Two_

"I'm worried I'm crazy," said Mugen. He was lying on his back, hands clasped over his chest, confessing everything. "Ever since Fuu and Jin left, I've been feeling… empty. But I didn't even like them! They annoyed me! They held me down! I keep thinking, over and over, about Fuu's little quest. It seemed so stupid at the time, you know? But now I'm thinking, maybe it wasn't stupid at all. Maybe… maybe I sort of felt like I was a part of something. That's what the whole stupid quest was about, right? Fuu wanting to find her dad? I never knew my family… you know, my mom just sorta ended up with me, and had me at this workhouse and left that same night… all I ever knew was her name… am I crazy?"

"Don't ask me. I'm just a rice paddy worker," said the man Mugen had been talking to. "Sounds like you have some issues with your mom, though."

"I never even thought about her, until stupid Fuu came along with her stupid quest! I never wanted a family! Then, I don't know, I had to hang out with those two losers and now I feel… I don't know. Alone or something. I keep fucking girls but it doesn't help."

"Hmm," said the rice paddy worker. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and took a seat on a crate that was sitting outside the entrance of the storefront. (Mugen was lying across several barrels like a couch, glaring at anyone who came too close. The owner of the store had complained that Mugen was driving away business, but Mugen had refused to leave. Besides, Bill's Squid Emporium _never_ got very much business, anyway. What kind of name was "Bill?")

"Well…" said the rice paddy worker slowly. "Maybe you don't want the girls. Maybe… maybe you want your mom."

"YOU THINK I WANNA SLEEP WITH MY MOM?" shrieked Mugen, jumping up and grabbing his sword. "I'LL KILL YOU, YOU DAMN PERV!"

"No!" cried the rice paddy worker, cringing. "No, no, no! Not at all! I—I meant, maybe the reason you feel lonely is—is because you never knew her. Please don't kill me."

Mugen's shoulders relaxed and his sword fell to his side. "Oh. Sorry." He climbed back onto the barrels, crossed his legs, clasped his hands over his chest, and closed his eyes. "How can I miss someone I never knew, though?"

"I—I don't know," said the rice paddy worker. He was still shaking. "It's just—just that, most people rely a lot of their mothers… and maybe you just need someone to lean against… and now that Fuu and Jin are gone… well… you're all alone."

"But I'm not crazy, right?" pressed Mugen. He turned his head and glared. His eyes were dark, lined with more dark from his pirate days; his hair was a wild mane of tangled, spiked hair. He looked like the devil incarnate.

"No. No, I—I don't think you're crazy at all," said the shaking paddy worker.

"So what should I do? Go find my mom?"

"I didn't say—"

"Yeah! So I can punch her in the face! Just like Fuu! That's a great idea! Thanks!" He jumped off the barrels and sauntered off, leaving the rice paddy worker fixed to the ground like a scared rabbit.

* * *

"…and he has metal soles on his shoes," finished Fuu. She had been describing Mugen to everyone she came across, with two different reactions: confusion, and rage. Now in a busy intersection, she was talking with a woman who was sweeping her front walk, and Fuu was surprised to see this woman was neither confused or enraged. Instead, the woman was nodding like she understood, and seemed fairly serene. A little boy kept running in and out of the house, occasionally grabbing her around her leg.

"I saw that guy a day ago," said the woman.

"Really?" exclaimed Fuu, clasping her hands together hopefully and leaning forward. A small breeze blew; the wind chimes hanging from the eaves of the woman's house tingled quietly.

"Yeah. He was in this square right here, asking for information about a girl…"

"_Mugen_?" repeated Fuu, recoiling and scrunching up her nose. "You mean, he was asking about a prostitute or something, right?"

"Nope, a girl. He said she'd probably be from the south…"

"I'm from the south!"

"…and be wearing bright colors…"

"I'm wearing bright colors!"

"…and have brown hair…"

"I have brown hair!"

"…and that he wanted to punch her in the face."

"He wants to punch me in the face?" cried Fuu, her voice echoing over the square. A flock of birds who'd been napping on the eaves took flight. "Why?"

"Oh, something about abandonment."

"I didn't abandon him!" protested Fuu. "We left when my quest was over, just like he wanted! What a jerk! Maybe I don't want to find him after all."

The woman shrugged. "Well, he seemed to be making his way south, which is that way. And you'll probably find him even if you don't want to, since he's looking for you. So you might as well."

"Hmph," said Fuu. She leaned against the side of the house and sulked until the woman went inside and closed the shoji screen behind her… then she went sprinting down the street in the direction Mugen had gone.

* * *

"I thought I told you to _leave me alone_!" snapped Jin. He had been walking down the street, minding his own business, when Kana popped out of an alleyway. He'd nearly lopped her head off with his sword.

"Where're you going?" she asked.

"That way! Now, please, go away!"

Kana fell into step behind him. Jin stopped walking and bowed his head, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Don't you know how dangerous it is for a woman to be out at night?" he asked, voice muffled by his hand, which was in front of his face.

"You'll protect me, won't you, big guy?" she purred.

Jin clenched his teeth. He wanted to say no, but that was a lie. He would protect her, because he couldn't help himself. Women in distress always struck a chord with his noble side. "I have no interest in you," he hissed as reasonably as he could.

"Yeah? Why not?" asked Kana. She'd pulled out a knife from her zigzag skirt and was picking dirt out from under her nails.

"For one thing, I saw you pick-pocket about eight people in that bar."

Kana's face fell so dramatically that, even with only the light of the half-moon, Jin saw it. "Really? You saw me rip them off? Shoot. I must be losing my edge."

Jin ground his teeth together. "I have no desire to be acquainted with a thief."

"Really? That's a funny thing for a ronin to say. How _do_ you earn your money, Jin?"

Jin's fists clenched, but he couldn't do anything. She was, after all, a woman. Kana smirked, pleased that she'd got his goat.

Jin began walking again. Kana followed, hands clasped behind her back. "Know what?" she asked, breaking the thick silence. "I actually sorta like you. I don't know what makes you tick, see? Normally I can read people like books. Not that I can read. But if I could, that's how good I read people, see? But you… you're something else!"

Jin rubbed his temples. He wished for Mugen. Mugen would knock this annoying woman out with no qualms at all. Sometimes, it was helpful to have a friend without any morals.

"Going out of town?" pressed Kana, as Jin began stalking down the main road that led into the countryside. "Didn't you come from here?"

"Can't I go whenever I want?" snapped Jin.

"Sure! I guess so. Free country, right? Actually, it isn't. Shogunate bastards, you know." She made a horrible hawking noise and spat on the ground. Jin cringed. "But I guess I can go anywhere, too. Looks like I'm going the same way, huh? Wanna be partners?"

"No."

"Hey, come on. We'd make a great team. We gotta eat, right? I've got the smarts and you've got the swords. 'Team Kana and Jin,' has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

"_No._" Jin turned off the road and began wading through the grass, hoping that the long, spiky blades would impede her, since she was wearing only her thin little skirt. But she hopped after him like some sort of demon rabbit.

"Going off the beaten path, huh, Jin? I respect that. Yeah, I respect that a lot. I do it too. Actually, I'm just a sweet little country girl, at heart…"

"Yeah, right," grumbled Jin sarcastically, rolling his eyes towards the star-filled sky. "And astrology is just a bunch of nonsense."

* * *

"…and I want to punch her in the face," finished Mugen. He was describing what he hoped was his mother to a group of several people in the street. Most looked incredulous.

"If you're from Ryuukuu, how can you be sure she's not still in Ryuukuu?" asked one.

"I dunno, I guess I just assumed she'd be here."

"How do you know she's not dead?" asked another person.

"Well… because… she's probably not."

"How do you know what she looks like?" asked a third person.

"Because… HEY! I'm the one asking the questions here! Have you seen her or haven't you?" demanded Mugen.

"Of course we haven't seen her, you nutjob. We don't get Ryuukuuians up here."

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A NUTJOB?" yelled Mugen. He yanked out his sword. The group scattered, but Mugen went pelting after the offending man. They dashed down several alleyways; the man finally turned, and Mugen, blind with rage, made a sharp turn after him. He smashed into someone and went sprawling on the ground, slightly dazed and still angry.

"What gives!" he shouted, trying to blink away the little burst of red that were exploding in front of his eyes. "What the hell's the matter with you? Doesn't anyone look where they're going anymore?"

"Oww…" replied the person he'd smashed into. That voice sounded very, very familiar…

Mugen's vision cleared, and he recoiled in horror at the person lying on the ground, clothed in a pink kimono. Dizzily, Fuu sat up.

"_Fuu_?"

"_Mugen_?"

"What the hell are you doing here?" asked Mugen, unable to keep the disbelief out of his voice.

Fuu blinked and blushed violently. "Looking for you," she mumbled, embarrassed.

Mugen jerked back in disgust. "You were looking for me?" he repeated. "That's the stupidest thing I ever heard! Don't you know how annoying you are! Sheesh! I don't want to have anything else to do with you, girly! Leave me alone! I'm a free man now!"

"Oh, yeah right!" said Fuu, standing up and dusting herself off while Mugen sheathed his sword. "I know you were looking for me too!"

"_What_? No I wasn't! Did you hit your head or something?"

"Oh, Mugen," sighed Fuu condescendingly. "I know all about it. You were asking people about a girl from the south with brown hair, wearing bright colors."

Mugen blinked, then looked embarrassed. He scuffed the ground with his foot. "I wasn't looking for you," he mumbled.

"Oh, yeah, right," repeated Fuu. "Who _were_ you looking for, then? Huh?"

Mugen looked even more embarrassed. He reached behind his head and scratched the back of his neck. "Uhh… don't laugh, okay?"

"I won't."

"I was looking… well… I was looking for my mom." Mugen braced himself for laughter, but Fuu just stared.

"Your _mom_? Why?"

"I don't know. Because… you were always talking about how great yours was, sort of… and… well, I guess I never knew mine. So I'm gonna go find her. And punch her in the face!"

"But… but I thought you were looking for me."

"Nope. I meant the south islands, you know, Ryuukuu? And everyone there wears bright colors. And she probably had brown hair like me. My hair is really a mahogonyish color, and yours is more of an auburn…"

Fuu's shoulders sagged. "Oh. So… you didn't miss me?"

"Not really."

"Oh," repeated Fuu. She frowned, then brightened. "Oh! But I think it's great that you're looking for your mom, Mugen! Really, I think it's wonderful! And… and I can help!"

"Aw, I dunno," mumbled Mugen. "Those guys were probably right. She's probably dead in Ryuukuu."

"Naw," said Fuu, grabbing his arm. "If you think she's here, well, she probably is! I mean, you're related, right? Call it son's intuition! You'd know! And I bet she'll be really easy to find, since she's a foreigner and everything! Come on!"

Mugen shifted his weight to his other foot. "I don't need your help."

"That's okay. I want to help."

"I guess… I guess I wouldn't be totally annoyed. But I don't like you or anything."

"That's okay. I don't like you either."

"Then why were you looking for me?"

"So I could hug you."

"Oh. Well, as long as you don't like me."

"Don't worry, I don't."

* * *

_I think I lost her_, thought Jin. He slowly, silently let out his breath, which he'd been holding. He was pressed against the side of a building, after over two days of walking in circles, doubling back, running, hiding, and general ditching. Kana was like a swarm of mosquitoes. Right when Jin though the worst was over, she was back with renewed vigor. He couldn't seem to ditch her. And what's worse, he'd just found out she'd stolen the last bit of money he'd had.

"Hey, big guy!"

Jin cringed and looked up. Kana was lying on the edge of the roof on the building, her head propped up on her hands. She held out a hand filled with coins. "Lose this?" she asked.

Jin swiped back his money. "Give me that! Leave me alone, you horrible woman!"

"Aw, come on, give me a chance! You need the money and I need… the protection."

"Protection from what?" snapped Jin.

"Oh, you know, big mean guys," she said furtively, rolling over and staring at him upside-down. "The world's a dangerous place for a little country girl like me."

"You ripped them off, didn't you?" demanded Jin. "And by the way, you're not a girl, you're old enough to be my mother. And furthermore, I very much doubt you're from the country."

Kana gave him a big, upside-down grin. "See! I knew you were smart!"

"That's _it_!" cried Jin. He turned on his heel and began sweeping down the street. Kana followed, stalking him from the rooftops.

"Where're you going, Jin?" she asked.

"To find Mugen!" snapped Jin.

"Who's Mugen?"

"He's someone who's so completely and utterly despicable that he'll be able to deal with you!"

"Yeah? Sounds like my kind of guy!" said Kana, rubbing her hands together. She dropped down from the roof and walked past Jin with a little smirk, disappearing down a street, no doubt to prey off of unsuspecting people who had the misfortune of walking by. Jin was glad for his temporary respite from Kana's presence, but he knew she'd be back. So he kept walking in the direction he hoped Mugen was in, aware that his kimono felt much lighter since Kana had walked by.


	3. Out There Waiting

(To Mirandler: Constructive criticism is _always _welcome.)

* * *

_Chapter Three_

Fuu sighed, turning the corner to meet Mugen by the little fountain they'd passed hours earlier. She hadn't had any luck at all, and she sure was hungry.

Mugen was lying by the side of the fountain. He'd kicked off his geta, which were lying in the dirt beside him. He was on his back, staring directly at the sun, slowly rotating a straw in his mouth. It was obvious to Fuu he hadn't been searching at all.

"It's obvious to me you haven't been searching at all!" she snapped, storming up to him.

"Huh?" said Mugen. He turned his head toward Fuu, but all he could see were little red circles.

"You've been lying here all day, haven't you? I've been out there looking for _your_ mother! And you've just been lying here!"

"It's hot," whined Mugen. "Besides." He heaved himself up and dangled his feet in the water. "It's my quest and I get to choose how to do it. And I didn't even ask for _your_ help in the first place. No one's making you stay, girly! You can bite dust if you want to. Me, I'm gonna do whatever I want." He looked down at the ground suddenly, pushing out his lower lip thoughtfully and nearly dropping his straw. "And, look, we still haven't found her. She's probably still in Ryuukuu."

Fuu sighed and sat next to Mugen. "We've only been looking a few days, Mugen. It took us months to find my dad, remember? We'll find her. We just have to be patient." She patted his arm, but he wrenched away.

"I _hate_ being patient."

"Well, maybe you should learn to be patient anyway," said Fuu primly. Her stomach growled loudly. She rubbed it and looked expectantly at Mugen.

"What? Oh, I get it now! You expect me to buy you food, don't you? That's why you came back and decided to help me! You little whore!"

Fuu was too used to Mugen's insults to be daunted. She stared at him pointedly. "You have money, right?"

"Where would I get money?" snorted Mugen. "You know I can't keep a job. I can't even get a job."

"Gimme a break, Mugen. You've got the stickiest fingers of anyone I know."

Mugen looked proud. "Well… I've got skill," he conceded. He heaved himself up and swayed, nearly falling before Fuu caught him. "Let's go!" he said, staggering toward a tree.

"Did you know you're not supposed to look directly into the sun?" asked Fuu, as Mugen got closer and closer to the tree. He finally smashed into it, falling onto his back dizzily.

From the ground, he snapped at Fuu. "What are you, my mom?"

* * *

Jin whistled as he entered the town. He'd been wandering days now. What a nice feeling. He'd forgotten the long, peaceful, still moments by himself. He'd forgotten how it was to really think his thoughts. He could run through whole training sessions in his mind without being interrupted. When he was hot, the breeze through his billowy clothes felt good, and when he was cold, the rays of the sun on his back warmed him.

He certainly wasn't having a perfect time, though. The last town, for example. He'd pulled his sword on a man he came across, who was beating his wife. The little worm ran, and Jin sheathed his sword and continued on his way. Then the man had come back, with a whole group of police. And they'd identified him as "that foreigner who's been ripping everyone off."

How dare they! He hadn't ripped anyone off! He'd been eating food stolen from windowsills, which certainly wasn't noble, but wasn't really ripping anyone off, either. Anyone who was wealthy enough to leave food lying on windowsills unguarded could do without it.

It wasn't until Kana reappeared that he realized who the "foreigner" was.

Fortunately, he had temporarily lost her again. Or, she'd lost him. He'd bribed her to leave him alone with some money. She'd skipped off ahead. Jin could have turned and gone a different direction, but he knew she'd find him. So he plodded on ahead, and when he reached the sunny little town, he allowed a smile to touch his lips. Some children were playing in a fountain. He swept past them; they paused to watch him.

"Wow! A samurai!" said one in a hushed voice. Jin smiled a little more. He found himself carrying himself with a little more dignity, and taking longer strides. He turned on his heel, intending to sweep down a side-street in a dramatic way, but ended up smashing into someone and landing solidly on his back.

Behind him, all the children burst into hysterical laughter, while Jin sputtered and looked up. Kana was standing over him, jangling money in her hand.

"Hiya, Jin! Pretty bad fall, huh? Okay? Didn't break your balls, did I?"

"_No_," growled Jin, while the children tittered. He rolled over and picked himself up, ignoring the outstretched hand Kana offered him.

"Yeah? You should watch where you're going. Kinda weird how you fell and I didn't, huh? Why's your eye twitching like that? Didja get something in it when you fell over?"

Jin brushed the long sleeves of his kimono indignantly while Kana continued chatting away. He waited for a pause in her speech before he said, as stiffly as possible, "I meant to fall over. If I hadn't fallen, you would have collided with me and fallen over yourself. And a samurai always sacrifices himself for a lady." The children watched attentively, eyes wide.

"Uh-huh," said Kana, unconvinced. "So you heard me coming?"

"Of course I did."

"They why did you knock into me in the first place? Geez. You're a terrible samurai. Actually, you're not a real samurai. You're a ronin, right? I mean, you haven't got a lord or anything, obviously, otherwise you wouldn't have to keep stealing your food."

Every single child behind Jin snorted audibly. Jin finally lost it; he unsheathed his sword indignantly and brandished it at Kana. "Shut your mouth, woman!"

The children, with the sword in view, went back to being awed. Kana gave Jin a wicked look, a playful glint in her eye. Then she unleashed her secret weapon.

"WAA-AHHH," she sobbed. "You're _threatening _me? I thought you _loved _me, Jin! WAA-AHHH! Why are you always so cruel? WAA-AAHH! Why won't you take care of our baby!"

"What!" cried Jin, overwhelmed. The children watched in horror. Their parents, summoned by the commotion, had come out and were watching the scene as well. Jin hated scenes. He sheathed his sword and awkwardly tried to comfort Kana, but she was inconsolable.

"WAA-AAHH," she wailed.

"Stop crying!" hissed Jin, patting her back weakly. "Please! Calm down! I wasn't really threatening you!"

"WAA-AAHH," she cried. "Samurai make the worst husbands! All you ever do is go out and fight and get drunk and leave me at home with the baby, and then you _threaten_ me! WAA-AAHH!"

"Disgraceful!" mumbled one of the people watching.

"Despicable!"

"That guy should be ashamed!"

"Please!" begged Jin. "You're causing a scene! Please—I'm sorry!" He grabbed her into a massive hug, smothering her face into her chest. "Please—dear. I'll come home right now and help with—with little Mitsu right now!"

Kana stopped crying. She wiped her eyes and looked up at Jin. "Really?" she asked quavering.

"Yes! Just… stop… crying!"

Kana smirked. "Will you buy me dinner?" she whispered.

"_What_?"

"WAA-AAHH!"

"Yes! Yes, I'll do anything, just shut up!"

"Give me a kiss."

"_What_?"

"WAA-AAHH, you won't even give your own wife a kiss!"

Jin dipped her toward the ground and clamped his mouth over hers, keeping his lips tightly sealed. She threw her arms around him; when he straightened, she remained latched on. "Carry me," she demanded.

Angrily, Jin carried her away from the street, while a crowd watched him, shaking their heads. The moment they were a good distance away, he dropped her onto the ground.

"Pretty good acting, huh, Jin?"

"You… you dishonest wretch! Why are you still following me?"

"Cause you're easy," she answered dismissively. "Cute, too! So… how about dinner?"

"Buy your own," mumbled Jin, stalking away. He couldn't have bought her any, even if he'd wanted to; she'd stolen all his money again while he was carrying her.

* * *

"…and she probably looks a little like me," said Mugen. He was bowing his head bashfully, explaining to a ground of old women leaning on canes who he was looking for. "Because, you see, she is my mother. And I've been looking for her for a long time."

"Aww," said all the old women at once. "That's so—"

"SO I CAN PUNCH HER IN THE FACE!" yelled Mugen enthusiastically.

"Oh, my."

Fuu was in the street, making inquiries as well. She walked over and grabbed Mugen's arm. "Mugen, can I speak to you…?" She dragged him to the side. "You can't tell people that."

"What? Why not? You told me to be honest!"

Fuu sighed. "Well, be honest about her being your mom. That'll make people sympathetic. But don't tell them about punching her. No one likes people who punch their mothers."

Mugen stared at her with a blank expression.

Fuu sighed again. "You need some serious social skills."

"Hey! I have social skills. Watch this…. HEY, CHICK! NICE RACK!" he yelled.

A girl, passing with her two friends, turned deep red and crossed an arm over her chest protectively. One of her friends called, "PIG!" The other shouted, "Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"See?" said Mugen, turning back to Fuu. He cracked all his knuckles, looking satisfied. "I'm plenty social."

Fuu shook her head. _If Jin were here, he could explain it…_ she thought. She winced when she remembered Jin. She definitely wouldn't see him again, not as long as she was helping Mugen. But at least she and Mugen were getting along. And she had to admit, it was pretty exciting, being all alone with this roguish pirate who could do anything to her and she'd be so helpless and sweet and pretty and defenseless and—

"Hey, ugly!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry," said Fuu quickly. "Well, maybe it would help if I knew her name."

Mugen looked embarrassed. "I think it's Leiko," he said. "I mean… I'm not sure. I'm pretty sure it's Leiko. That's what they told me."

Fuu felt sorry for Mugen suddenly. She reached out and put her hand over his. "Don't worry. We'll find her."

"Yeah," said Mugen quietly. Then he quickly yanked his hand away. "Not that I care. I just wanna punch her in the face!"

Fuu rolled her eyes. "Well, we'll never get anything done on an empty stomach, so let's get some food, okay?"

"Sure," said Mugen. "Give me two seconds and I'll just get us a little cash." He glanced at the people on the street, zeroed in on one, and got up to stalk them. Fuu frowned, and looked away. She hated being all criminalistic and stuff, but… well, food was food.

* * *

"Hey, Mr. Samurai, want another drink?"

"Shh!" hissed Jin, who was hunched low over his drink in the crowded teahouse. "Don't call me that! My name's… Mr. Shi."

"Okay, Mr. Shi, whatever. Want another?"

"Yes, yes, sure," snapped Jin, glancing over his shoulder again. He was looking for two things. One, of course, was Kana. The other was a trouble-maker. He didn't have any money. But maybe the bartender would allow him to pay by throwing out some trouble-makers. Hopefully someone would start causing trouble before Jin was asked to pay the tab he was running up.

"So what's a samurai like you doing in a place like this?"

"Shh! Don't say 'samurai' so loud!"

"What? You hiding from someone, Mr. Shi?"

"Never mind! Go away!"

The bartender shrugged and left. Anxiously, Jin glanced around again. No sign of Kana. Nor of trouble-makers. He might just have to slip away without paying the bill.

Then, for a split second, he thought he wouldn't have to. A man entered the teahouse, and if he didn't look like a trouble-maker, Jin didn't know who did. He had tan skin and wild hair and tattoos and… and a red kimono… and…

Jin dropped his drink as Mugen and Fuu walked into the teahouse together.

No. It couldn't be. Not them. Not _together_. Sure, Jin had been going in the right direction, but he hadn't actually expected to find Mugen. And with _Fuu_?

He rubbed his eyes, but they were real. He jumped up and crossed the room.

Seated comfortably on the floor, Fuu was helping Mugen decipher the menu; he wasn't the best reader in the world, even though he'd had a few lessons while he was with her on her quest. She was leaning over and pointing out things to him, and he was actually listening.

Jin barged in, forcing the two apart.

"HEY! What's your problem, you big—_Jin_?"

"Jin?" repeated Mugen. "What the hell? Jin?"

"What are you two doing here?" asked Jin.

"What are _we_ doing here?" asked Fuu.

"What are _you_ doing here?" demanded Mugen. "You went north! I went south!"

Jin looked embarrassed. "I choose to change directions." His resolve stiffened. "And I was here first!"

"I'm so glad to see you!" cried Fuu. She threw her arms about Jin's waist and squeezed him. Jin jerked back, horrified by the girl around his waist. Mugen crossed his arms and pouted.

"I bet you wanna fight me," he sulked. "You probably came all this way just to try to beat me, right? To prove you're the best, even though you're not?"

"You came to find me, right?" asked Fuu, blushing.

"No. I'm… I'm on the run," said Jin.

"On the run?" whispered Fuu eagerly, leaning forward. "From who?"

"FROM ME!" yelled the bartender, looming over them. "You gotta pay, you know!"

"They'll pick it up for me," said Jin quickly.

"What! No we—"

"—absolutely will!" finished Fuu. Mugen slouched angrily. The bartender left, satisfied.

"Well? Who're you on the run from?" asked Fuu eagerly.

"A woman," whispered Jin.

Mugen snorted into the tea he was drinking and nearly choked. Jin eyed him with disgust as he wiped his chin on his sleeve. "A woman? You're running from a _girl_? Ha-ha, what a wimp."

"Girls can be tough!" protested Fuu.

"I always knew you were queer," said Mugen, nudging Jin playfully.

"Both of you, stop it! You haven't met her! She's awful! Like a plague! I'd do anything to rid myself of her!"

"Just kill her," said Mugen dismissively. "And leave us alone."

"No, no, no, don't!" squealed Fuu. "Stay with us! You can help us on our quest!"

"_Fuu_!"

"What quest?" asked Jin.

"We're on a quest now to find Mugen's—mmph mmph mmph!"

"To find… find myself a whore," said Mugen quickly, while Fuu flailed her arms helplessly, one of Mugen's hands clamped firmly over his mouth.

"Fuu's helping you find a whore?" repeated Jin cynically. "Do I look stupid to you, Mugen?"

"Well… yeah," he confessed.

Fuu finally managed to pry Mugen's hand from her face. "He wants to find his mom!" she said in a hurry. Mugen cuffed her on the side of the head.

Jin smirked. "You want your mommy?"

"Shut up!" said Mugen. "One more word and I'll kill you! For real this time! I mean it!"

"Aw, Jin, don't," said Fuu, grabbing his arm. "I think it's a good thing that Mugen wants to find his mom."

"What makes you so sure you can?"

Mugen glared at him and mumbled something about getting a drink; he stalked away. Fuu shook Jin's arm.

"Jin! Why did you say that?"

"I'm being realistic," said Jin stiffly.

"But I think it's great! Don't you think Mugen needs a motherly influence in his life? Maybe it'll make him a better person."

"Nothing can make him a better person," said Jin.

"So, you're going to stay and help us, right?"

"What choice do I have?" sighed Jin. "She's out there, after all."

"Who? Mugen's mom?"

"No. Kana."


	4. Mugen Meets His Mother

_Chapter Four_

The world was a bright and beautiful place to Fuu. Once again, she was flanked by two of her friends, with her third friend nestled safely inside her kimono. The town fountain was cold and gurgly and inviting children to play in it (although Fuu admitted she'd taken off her sandals and splashed in the puddles too, while Jin had looked annoyed and Mugen disgusted). The spraying water made rainbows in the air, and the flowers were all in bloom even though it was awfully late in the season for that… and, well, everything was just great.

Fuu watched a butterfly fluttering around her head, while Jin and Mugen talked.

"Don't you know anything at all about her?"

"Not really," confessed Mugen, scratching his head. "I was sort of an accident. The only reason she had me was that it was raining. She probably would have just left me in a gutter, but there was a thunderstorm and she went into this poorhouse. She left the same night. The only thing she really said was that my name was Mugen. She wouldn't even hold me."

"That's so sad," said Fuu quietly, watching the butterfly try to light on Jin's head. He brushed it away.

"They told me her name, but no one knew who the dad was. She never came back." Mugen turned his arm and picked at a scab on his elbow. "I guess I'm pretty stupid for wanting to find her, since she doesn't want me."

"I don't think you're stupid," said Jin quietly.

"Really?"

"Well, I do. But not for that reason."

"Look, guys!" exclaimed Fuu abruptly. "There's a butterfly on my arm."

"Don't move," instructed Jin.

"We'll take care of it," said Mugen. The two were already drawing their swords.

"What! No! No, don't do that! Don't you see how pretty it is?"

"Whoopee," said Mugen sarcastically. "If I can't fuck it, I don't care."

"Then why are you looking for your mother?" asked Jin. Mugen swung his sword at Jin's head. Fuu sighed as the butterfly fluttered off, and Jin and Mugen went brawling past. She sat for a moment on a pile of firewood by the entrance of a sandal store and watched the two rolling around like animals.

_Men_, she thought.

A young man strode past.

"Excuse me!" called Fuu. He stopped. "Have you seen an old woman around lately? She's foreigner… probably wearing bright colors, with really dark brown hair?"

"Sorry, cutie. I haven't," he said.

"Oh, my," said Fuu, blushing sweetly. Momo poked her head out of Fuu's kimono to watch Jin and Mugen brawl.

"Excuse me!" called Fuu to the next person, an old woman in a zigzag skirt who was slouching something awful.

"What?" she snarled.

"I'm looking for an old woman wearing bright colors and with dark hair. She's a foreigner."

"Why?"

"She's my friend's mother."

The women chewed the inside if her lip a moment thoughtfully, watching Jin and Mugen fight. "Did you know you have a rat sticking out of your clothes?" she asked finally, and continued on her way.

Fuu sighed. "Excuse me!" she called to a young mother passing with two hyperactive children. "I'm looking for—"

"You asked my yesterday. I said no," said the woman grouchily, trying to hold onto both children.

Fuu put her fists on her cheeks and her elbows on her knees. "This is hard," she reported.

"Ee," agreed Momo.

Mugen and Jin's scuffle finally ended, and they strode over, covered in dust and pretending not to pant from exhaustion.

"Why don't you try to separate us anymore?" asked Mugen.

"What's the point? You'll just end up fighting again anyway. Besides, you're obviously evenly matched."

"We'll see about that!" said Mugen, getting out his sword again. But Jin wasn't looking at him; he was focused on the old woman in the zigzag skirt. She was across the street, leaning against a water butt, moving a coin through her fingers in a shifty way and watching them.

"She's not very nice," said Fuu.

"Of course she's not! That's Kana! Hide me!" he begged frantically, grabbing Fuu's kimono sleeve.

"That's Kana?" repeated Mugen, unimpressed. "She's just a little old lady, Jin, sheesh. You couldn't just take her out?"

"You know I couldn't!"

Mugen sighed. "I always gotta do all your dirty work, don't I?" He threw his sword over his shoulder and began crossing the street. Kana watched him coming from the shadows. Fuu turned away, burying her face in Jin's kimono; even Jin looked up, not wishing to see Mugen slaughter her, even if she deserved it.

And so both of them missed the moment when Kana pushed herself out of the shadows and began drawing a dagger, ready to defend herself, and Mugen stopped dead in his tracks, getting a full view of her.

Tan skin. Dark hair. And her clothes, that bright zigzag pattern that only people from Ryuukuu wore.

His sword dropped. Fuu and Jin looked up.

"Mom…?"


	5. Rain and Sunshine

_Chapter Five_

"Mom?"

Jin and Fuu stared at each other. Then they got up and went streaking across the road to Mugen's side. Fuu grabbed his arm, and Jin, not wanting to appear like a loser, grabbed the hilt of his sword.

Kana didn't look shocked, but she didn't look joyful, either. "Mom?" she repeated.

"Mom!" confirmed Mugen with hopeful enthusiasm. "It's me! Mugen!"

Kana looked him up and down. Then, suddenly, her annoyed sneer melted and she said, "Oh, Mugen! My little boy!" She opened her arms. Mugen lunged. Fuu and Jin cringed, expecting him to punch her in the face; instead, when they dared look, the two were clinging to each other like… well… long-lost relatives.

"You're… you're Mugen's mother?" repeated Jin, aghast.

Kana stroked Mugen's hair lovingly. "Yes," she said, her eyes hungrily taking in Mugen's general appearance. "He was only a baby when I had to leave... but I knew he'd find me, someday…"

"They didn't think I could!" whined Mugen, pointing to Jin and Fuu.

"_What_? I was the only one looking!" protested Fuu. "And—and I thought your name was Leiko!"

"Yeah!" said Jin with sudden ferociousness. "You told _me_ it was Kana!"

"Hey, back off from my mom!" growled Mugen protectively.

"It's okay," said Kana quickly. "It's true. My real name is Leiko. But I've been going under an alias. I mean… you didn't really think Kana was my real name, did you?"

She and Mugen pointed and laughed at Jin. He seethed quietly.

"Oh, you've grown so much," sighed Leiko. "You must be… twenty now, right?"

"Yeah!" said Mugen eagerly. "And you must be….forty-one!"

"Ah-ah-ah! I'm thirty-seven, if anyone asks." She winked. Finally, she turned her attention on Fuu and Jin. Fuu was watching her in fascination. Jin's arms were crossed and he was glaring away.

"Are these your friends?"

"They're just people who keep bugging me," said Mugen dismissively, which was his way of answering yes. "That's Fuu, and that's Jin. I guess you know Jin."

"Why would you hang out with someone so boring?"

"I don't know," said Mugen truthfully.

Jin heaved an aggravated sigh. "Clearly, you two have a lot to catch up on," she said dully. "So, if you'll excuse me and Fuu…" He took Fuu's elbow.

"No, wait!" said Fuu. "Why don't we go buy lunch and you can tell us all about… um, yourself?"

"Sure!" said Kana (or, as she was now, Leiko). "That's a great idea! I'm broke."

"But we just saw you playing with money!" protested Jin.

"HEY! Are you callin' my mom a liar?"

Jin waited until Mugen wasn't listening to mutter to himself, "Yes."

* * *

"Tell me about when I was born," demanded Mugen eagerly. Leiko ignored him. She was wolfing down every scrap of food in sight. Jin looked disgusted by her table manners. Fuu was sympathetic—she knew how it felt.

"When you were born?" repeated Leiko. She had half a crayfish sticking out of her mouth. She bit down on it with a horrible crunch and sucked out the inside. "Oh. Well, I never meant to leave you, Mugen. It's just… I had places to be. And I knew you'd be safe in the workhouse. I meant to come back, but… things happened. It broke my heart to leave you. But I knew, when I left, it would all be okay again. The sun was shining brightly, like an omen that—"

"It was raining."

"What?"

"It was raining," repeated Jin. "Mugen was born in a thunderstorm, and you just said it was sunny."

"It was!" snapped Leiko. "It was raining when I gave birth, but then it stopped raining when I left! Do you have any idea how long it takes to birth a baby? Rain doesn't keep going forever, you know!"

"Shut up!" snapped Mugen, reaching out to hit Jin. Jin caught his wrist, but Mugen took advantage of Jin's raised arm to punch him in the kidney.

Then he turned back to Leiko. "How'd you escape from Ryuukuu?"

"Stowed away in a boat," said Leiko dismissively, stuffing her face.

"Wow," murmured Mugen in awe. "A boat."

Jin pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Where'd you get the tattoos?" asked Leiko, gesturing to Mugen's wrists.

"Oh, these," said Mugen, rubbing them. "I killed a guy back in Ryuukuu. I was just a kid. Man! It took eight of them to hold me down, though!"

"My poor sweetheart."

Fuu saw Jin let out a disgusted breath through his nose, like an irate bull.

"Do I have any brothers or sisters?"

"No. You were the only one who survived," said Leiko. Her eyes watered up. Immediately, fuu leaned over to hug her.

"She can do that on purpose," mumbled Jin, but Fuu wasn't listening to him.

"Oh, Mugen, we have so much to catch up on," sighed Leiko.

"I'm—I'm so glad I found you, Mom! …I can call you Mom, right? Or Ma?"

"Ma makes me sound sort of old. Mom's fine."

"Great!" Mugen beamed.

"It's too bad I can't stick around."

:"What! Why not? Where are you going, Mom?"

"I've made some enemies, son. Some terrible enemies. Even as we speak, there are men out there, looking for me…"

"I'll protect you!" said Mugen immediately. "Stay with me! I'll kill anyone if they even look at you funny!"

Leiko's eyes teared up again. "Oh, Mugen, you're such a good boy. But I'd hate to impose myself on you. I don't want to get you in danger. It would be best if I left."

"No, Mom! Don't! Please!" begged Mugen. "I can kick anyone's ass, really! I'm unbeatable! And so's Jin! The two of us will make sure you're safe! I promise."

"Well…" Leiko sighed. "I just can't abandon you again. I'll stay."

Mugen beamed.

"I always knew my son would grow up to be the best fighter in the world."

Mugen drew himself up proudly.

Jin put his face in his hand. "I didn't agree to help protect her," he mumbled.

"Shut up, Jin. Come on… she's my _mom_."


	6. Suspicions

_Chapter Six_

Fuu had never seen Mugen happy.

She _thought_ she had, but now that she saw him with his mother, she began to realize he really hadn't been happy. He'd been content and satisfied before, usually after either killing or having sex with someone. He'd been lazy and comfortable after a nap or a meal. But she'd never seen Mugen like _this_: scampering around after Leiko like a puppy, a broad grin on his face, frequently interjecting random questions or comments into the amiable silence that suddenly no longer bothered him.

"Mom! Hey, Mom! Look at me! Mom! You're not looking!" called Mugen, who was teetering on one hand in the road. Leiko and Fuu were sitting in the shade of some eaves; Fuu was combing Leiko's hair. She wasn't sure yet whether she liked Leiko or not; Leiko was likable enough, but had a darker side that lurked just out of sight, always close enough to scare Fuu a little bit. Then again, she had always liked being scared. That's why she liked Mugen. He excited her.

"I'm looking, Mugen," called Leiko, who was pointedly examining her nails.

"No you're not! _Mom_!"

Leiko sighed luxuriously and held out her hand. "You know, I'm thinking I'd like some of those little pocket things for dinner. You know, the ones with meat inside, but it's wrapped up?"

"Sure," agreed Fuu. "Like, the ones with crabmeat?"

"I don't actually like seafood very much," said Leiko.

Fuu frowned. Leiko's tastes, in the span of only three days, had grown very discriminating. At first she would eat anything. But now she was becoming almost unbearably picky, because she knew Mugen would buy her… well, anything. He had probably mugged every person in town at least once already.

"_Moooom_!" shouted Mugen. Leiko looked up just in time to see him fall over on top of an unfortunate chicken that was wandering in the street. Leiko snorted and rolled her eyes as Jin came sweeping down the street with an identical look of disgust on his face.

"Is he making a fool of himself again?" he asked peevishly, leaning against the wall with his hands on his swords. Across the street, Mugen and the chicken were clawing at each other and squawking.

"At least he's not a four-eyed dipwad like you," sneered Leiko. Jin cringed noticeably and ground his teeth. He and Leiko had begun to hate each other. In fact, they probably loathed each other. Leiko, after finding Mugen, had completely lost all interest in Jin. And Jin had hated her to begin with.

"Hey… come on, guys," protested Fuu weakly. "Let's not fight, okay? Jin, where have you been?"

"Nowhere," said Jin, scowling.

"Well, Leiko's hungry, so we're going to get something to eat."

"Wonderful. Who will be doing the thievery this time, Mugen or Leiko?"

"Oh, shut up, you're not perfect," snapped Leiko. Her foul expression melted away as Mugen wandered over, hands in his pockets and feathers in his hair. "Mugen, sweetheart, you've got some dirt on your face."

"Stupid chicken."

Leiko stood up and licked her thumb; she began rubbing Mugen's cheek. He protested loudly. "_Mom_…"

"Hold still!"

"Damn it, stop! I'm not a little kid! _Mom_!" whined Mugen, twisting uncomfortable as she held his head. If he'd really wanted to get away, he could have; but he seemed to be enjoying the fuss Leiko was making over him.

Fuu giggled and looked at Jin, but he was glaring at the two of them and avoiding Fuu's eyes.

"There." Leiko stood back and admired her handiwork. Mugen wiped off his face with his hands. "Now, how about some lunch?"

"Sure!" said Mugen enthusiastically. "What'd you want?"

"Those little pocket things with meat in them."

"Oh, good, I love crab."

"I don't like seafood," said Leiko, at the same time Fuu said, "She doesn't want seafood."

"Oh. Me neither!" said Mugen quickly. "I hate that stuff! Okay, let's go, c'mon!" He grabbed Leiko's wrist and began hauling her away. "Hurry up, Tubsy!" he called to Fuu over his shoulder. "You snooze, you lose!"

"Coming?" asked Fuu.

Jin twisted his mouth thoughtfully and tapped his chin. "She doesn't like seafood?" he asked.

"I guess not."

"Hmm."

"Jin? Are you coming, or not?"

"I think I will," said Jin, falling into step with Fuu, who was hurrying after Mugen and Leiko. "Don't you think that's _odd_?"

"What? That you're coming to lunch? I guess so, I mean, lately you've been avoiding us like the plague…"

"No!" snapped Jin. "I meant that Leiko doesn't like seafood!"

"So what?"

"She's from Ryuukuu. An _island_. Mugen's from there and he loves seafood. He grew up on it."

"Aw, leave her alone, Jin, she's had a hard life."

"It must be terribly hard, taking advantage of people all the time," said Jin sarcastically. Fuu had never seen him so bitter.

"Geez, Jin. You're really being a wet blanket lately. What's your problem, anyways?"

"_She's_ my problem!"

"Well, no one's forcing you to stay with us!"

Jin was silent. He walked along with them the rest of the way in stormy silence.

* * *

"Did you think about Mugen a lot?" asked Fuu curiously that night. Mugen had mysteriously come up with a wad of cash that he had used to rent them rooms at an inn. Fuu and Leiko were two rooms down from Mugen and Jin; the rooms weren't dramatically furnished, but Fuu was glad she was sleeping on a futon and not on the cold, hard ground, and that she had the warm, comforting light of a lantern instead of the sparse and cold light of the stars.

"Hmm? Oh. I guess so," said Leiko mildly. She was dressed in one of Fuu's jubans and soothing out her tattered zigzag skirt on the floor. "Probably I thought about him as much as he thought of me. Do you think he'd get me some new clothes? Yours are pretty nice."

"Thanks," said Fuu, blushing and hugging her legs to her chest.

"It'd be nice to have some color again. This used to be a lot brighter." She sighed and held up the skirt. "Not anymore, though. I'd like some yellow, that's what I'd like! Bright yellow! With some lavender flowers. Wouldn't that be pretty?"

"It'd look great," agreed Fuu.

Leiko scowled. "If I asked, I bet that stupid ronin would complain, though. Has he always been such a killjoy?"

"Well… maybe a little, I guess," admitted Fuu. "I don't know why he's making such a big deal out of everything, though."

"Me neither," said Leiko. "He seemed okay until I met Mugen. Then he just went crazy. Well, just goes to show, you can't trust a ronin! I always knew he was probably an asshole, anyways."

"He's okay," said Fuu uncomfortably. "He's just… I don't know."

"Hey, Mom!" The shoji screen slid back with a force so violent it nearly fell off; Mugen stuck his wild head of hair into the room.

"_Mugen_!" shrieked Fuu, yanking the sheets over her chest.

"Oh, gimme a break, you're flatter than three-day-old sake," said Mugen. "Mom, I found a really hot-looking teahouse! You wanna come?"

"Sure," said Leiko, rising. "Give me ten minutes."

Mugen disappeared. Fuu dropped the sheets with disgust. "I am _not_ flat," she mumbled.

"Well, you're no geisha, either, dear," said Leiko. Fuu scrunched her nose up, feeling hurt. Leiko yanked on her clothes and walked out; Fuu sighed and was just about to lay down when the shoji screen slammed open again and Jin spun in, slamming it behind him.

"_Jin_!" shrieked Fuu, yanking the sheets over her chest.

"Shh!"

"Doesn't anyone knock anymore?" lamented Fuu. "Turn away!"

"What? No!" snapped Jin. "Stop being so childish! You know I don't have any interest in you!"

"Why not?"

Jin sputtered for a moment before regaining his composure. "Never mind! We have to talk about Leiko!"

"Hmph," said Fuu angrily, lying down and turning her back to Jin. "I don't want to! You're just going to complain about her, aren't you? Can't you just leave her alone? She's a poor old woman!"

"She's not poor, she's a thief! She's not even that old! And… and I'm not just going to complain! I think she's a very shady character!"

"Of course she's shady, Jin! She's _Mugen's mom_."

"Well, I'm starting to doubt she is!"

"Huh?" Fuu sat up, forgetting to cover herself. "What'd you mean?"

Jin knelt on the floor. "Look at the facts. She and Mugen don't look very similar. She just happened to show up when Mugen just happened to be looking for her. It's very improbable. And she doesn't like seafood."

Fuu sighed. "That's a terrible argument. She and Mugen look plenty alike. They've both got dark hair and dark eyes and dark skin."

"Everyone has dark eyes and dark hair! I do, and you do, and that doesn't make us related! And I think Leiko is only tan because she spends a lot of time in the sun."

"Well, just because she doesn't like seafood doesn't mean anything, either," said Fuu. "Maybe it's all she's been eating since Ryuukuu and that's why she's sick of it."

"I think she's a con artist," said Jin stubbornly. "What about her not knowing it was raining when Mugen was born?"

"She said it was sunny when she _left_. Not when he was born," corrected Fuu.

Jin was looking increasingly more frustrated as Fuu argued with him. He leaned forward and grabbed her arm just hard enough to make her flinch. "She's taking advantage of him," he said in a low voice. "Of us! It's unacceptable. We have to confront him about it."

Fuu put her hand over Jin's and tried to pry him off her arm. "_No_, Jin!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!" yelled Jin, just as the shoji screen and Mugen and Leiko came in. They stopped dead in their tracks; Jin and Fuu looked up guiltily. Fuu was still undressed. Jin hastily let go of her arm.

"Ohh, I see how it is," said Mugen wisely. "I knew it. I _knew_ you two were like that! Figures."

"We are not!" said Jin, climbing to his feet. "We were… were discussing… matters!"

"Matters. Yeah. Right." Mugen stomped across the room, still in his geta, managing to tear two of the tatami mats along the way. He stooped down and began pawing through Fuu's things.

"Hey!" she protested weakly.

"We're gonna pick up some clothes," said Mugen. "Mom said you wouldn't mind."

Leiko smiled at Fuu. "Well, my clothes are a little thin," she said humbly, blushing slightly.

"Oh… well…" Fuu looked at Jin. He was giving her a very, very obvious look. "Okay…" mumbled Fuu, while Jin stared at her.

"Yeah, ew. That's gross, man. I thought you had better taste than that," said Mugen, shoving Jin's shoulder as he passed him. Jin grabbed his swords protectively.

"Forget it!" called Mugen over his shoulder. "We'll fight tomorrow, if you're not too _tired_."

"Now look what you've done!" hissed Jin, turning on Fuu the moment Mugen's footsteps had faded.

"What _I've_ done? Maybe if you two respected my privacy a little more..."

"You see!" said Jin, deciding to ignore Fuu and plow on with his suspicions. "She's taking advantage of us! She just left with all your money!"

"Mugen will get more."

"And she'll take that too!"

"But Jin, her clothes really are gross. And how do you explain what she's wearing? It's that weird zigzag pattern. No one on the mainland wears that. Only people from Ryuukuu."

Jin scowled. He couldn't explain her clothes. "She probably stole them," he mumbled.

"Jin, give her a break, okay? I know you don't like Mugen or Mugen's mom, but just try to be happy for him, will you? And if you don't like it, you can leave. No one's keeping you here."

"Hmph," said Jin angrily, stomping out of the room. Fuu sighed and lay down.

"I am _not_ flat," she said to herself.


	7. Diamonds in the Rags

_Chapter Seven_

"I'm hot," whined Leiko. "Take me over to the shade."

"Sure, Mom," said Mugen. Leiko was on his back, her arms draped over his head. Mugen didn't seem to mind being treated like a pack animal.

Jin cleared his throat and looked at Fuu.

"No!" she whispered loudly. "If you want to talk to Mugen, then _you_ do it! I'm staying out of this one!"

"You know he won't listen to me!"

"No!" whispered Fuu stubbornly.

Mugen set Leiko down in some shade and then collapsed onto the ground, panting. "Man, it's hot, huh? What are you two lovebirds whispering about back there?"

"Nothing!" snapped Jin, bristling.

"Ahh, young love," sighed Leiko antagonistically. "Isn't it sweet? Do _you_ have a special girl, Mugen?"

"Whoever I can find."

"When am I going to have grandkids?"

"Oh, God, please don't encourage him to procreate," moaned Jin, putting a hand over his face. Fuu crammed her fist into her mouth to keep from giggling at the absurdity of it. Jin, not as easily tickled, sat in the shade as far away from Leiko as he could get and kicked off his sandals rather violently.

For a moment there was peaceful silence. Somewhere, they could hear heavy footfalls; soldiers marching. Leiko tensed and raised her head, like a deer that had caught the scent of a predator.

"What is it, Mom?" asked Mugen.

"Uhh, Mugen, sweetheart… could you do mommy a big favor?"

"Huh? Sure. Anything. What is it?" asked Mugen anxiously. Jin rolled his eyes.

A block down, Fuu watched a few shogunate officials turn sharply, patrolling along the streets. They stopped a few stores down from Fuu and paused, apparently sizing up their party. They paused to huddle.

"…see, I was falsely accused…" Leiko was explaining hastily.

"Yeah. Falsely," said Jin sarcastically, forming quotation marks with his fingers.

"Don't worry, Mom," said Mugen quickly, already climbing to his feet. "I believe you. I'll take care of them." He made sure to kick Jin's thigh when he passed him.

One of the shogun officials strode over. Mugen stood in front of him, like a sneering brick wall. The officer looked him up and down, obviously not used to being so openly defied.

"Excuse me," he said in a deep voice. "I believe that woman is wanted for theft."

"Yeah? I don't think she is," said Mugen.

The man jerked back. "If you don't move, you could be arrested for harboring a criminal," he threatened.

"And if you don't butt out, you could be sliced into pieces," replied Mugen.

"How dare you threaten me!" The man pulled his sword. His accomplices pulled their own and rushed to aide him; by that time, Mugen had already killed the first one.

Leiko smirked. Jin rolled his eyes some more. "He's going to cause a scene and get a bunch of people after us," he mumbled darkly. Fuu covered her eyes and buried her face into Jin's lap as Mugen's sword cut through skin as effortlessly as if it were butter.

"Is it over?" she squealed over the shouts of Mugen and the men.

"Honey, it's just getting started!" said Leiko happily. "Go get 'em, son!"

Jin sighed and began trying to pry away Fuu, but he was unsuccessful; by the time Mugen had thrust his sword into the last gut, ripping out intestines like streamers, Jin had onto managed to get his hand tangled in one of Fuu's hair ornaments.

"It's over. Get up!" snapped Jin harshly.

"Here, Mom," said Mugen, bounding over eagerly with the officer's head. He tossed it to her, but was so excited he missed; the severed head plunked into the dirt next to Fuu, who wailed and buried her head into Jin's lap again.

"Great job, Mugen!" said Leiko eagerly. "You're really good. Better than I thought, actually. I'm so proud of you. Hey, Fuu, let me see that head!"

"Nuh-uh!" protested Fuu, shaking her head.

"Get _off_ me!" hissed Jin.

"Let's go have some dinner to celebrate!" decided Leiko. "Mugen, dear, you have money, right?"

"Sure!" said Mugen, digging through the pockets of the dead men. "Plenty!"

"Great! Are you two sweethearts gonna stay here?"

"No!" said Jin vehemently, finally prying Fuu off him. "I'm coming with you, because there are a few things I'd like to know!"

* * *

"What did you do?" growled Jin. Over lunch, he gave a violent jab of his chopsticks in Leiko's direction. Her eyes widened innocently.

"Nothing," she said. Then, quickly, she amended, "Nothing without good reason! Everything I stole, I stole out of necessity!"

Next to her, Mugen's defenses were going up. He eyed Jin warily, eating with unusual slowness, clearly ready to jump to Leiko's protection at a moment's notice.

"What happened?" demanded Jin harshly, with another jab of his food.

Leiko's eyes watered up.

"Hey, back off!" shouted Mugen.

"She's doing it on purpose!" yelled Jin.

Leiko placed a hand on Mugen's arm. "No, you have a right to know," she sniffled pathetically. "It's just… this is all very hard for me to talk about. I've had such a hard, hard life." She blew her nose on Mugen's sleeve.

Mugen was too incensed to care. He shot Jin daggers from his eyes. "You're making my mom cry," he growled.

Jin crossed his arms and sulked haughtily while Leiko regained her composure.

"Well," said Leiko, with surprising clarity, despite how she'd been on the verge of hyterics only seconds earlier. "It all started years ago. Are you going to finish that?"

"Take it," said Mugen quickly, shoving his meal toward her.

Between bites and crocodile tears, Leiko began to tell the story.

"I was in a little town, not much bigger than this one. It was a cold, biting winter, and I had just had all my possessions stolen from a man."

"Were you sleeping with him?" asked Jin abruptly.

"Hey!" yelled Mugen.

"Well, yes, I was," said Leiko. "He stole everything while I was asleep. In fact, I woke up with only his kimono around me. Nothing else in the world. And I was so cold."

She said it so poignantly that everyone present had a sharp mental image of Leiko, wrapped only in a man's kimono, standing on the street corner while snow drifted down around her. Fuu sniffed audibly and pushed her meal over to Leiko, who was nearly finished with Mugen's. Jin slouched in his chair.

"I noticed some clothes in the window of a house. These clothes, in fact. The skirt was much brighter, and it looked warmer than just having bare legs. So I stole it. I'm not proud of that—"

Jin snorted.

"—but I had to," finished Leiko, ignoring Jin.

"They're after you over a set of stolen clothes?" asked Fuu.

"That's so unfair!" said Mugen. "Fucking shogun, they never leave us alone!"

"Well, there might have been some diamonds in the pocket, but I swear I didn't know that when I stole it," said Leiko quickly.

"_What_!" shouted Jin, Mugen, and Fuu all at once.

"Diamonds. You know, little sparkly rocks," said Leiko in annoyance. She reached under her skirt and came up with a tiny pouch. She opened it and dumped several small, real diamonds on the table.

Mugen's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "You stole diamonds," he said in belief.

"There's… there's enough there to buy a castle," said Jin in awe, his eyes level with the table. He nudged a few of the jewels.

"No wonder they're after you," whispered Fuu in amazement.

"Yes," said Leiko, slipping her diamonds back under her skirt. "That's why I said it would be dangerous being with me. Although you obviously don't have any problems protecting yourself, Mugen."

"Wha… no. No, I'm okay," said Mugen, still dazed by the idea of his mother being in possession of diamonds. He shook his head out.

Jin followed suit, then suddenly shouted. "AH-HA! I knew it!"

Leiko jumped. "Knew what?"

"Those clothes! You stole those clothes! You're not from Ryuukuu at all!"

"Yes I am!" snapped Leiko. "I stole them on Ryuukuu!"

"And we're supposed to believe someone put diamonds in the pocket and then hung them in a window? Do you take us for fools? You're lying!"

"Don't call my mom a liar!" shouted Mugen, jumping up and pulling his sword. Jin was too agitated to continue being reasonable. He yanked out his out swords and, before the customers in the restaurant could even take cover, he and Mugen began fighting.

Leiko reached across the table and took Jin's food.


	8. A Bitter Parting

_Chapter Seven_

"We've got to ditch her."

"_No_, Jin."

"Look at the facts. She's dangerous. She's a thief. She's got probably the entire world out looking for her. They'll think we're accomplices. Mugen's already killed those men, which means they'll send out more, and—"

Fuu clapped her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut.

The two were sitting on a low stone wall. Close to the horizon, a low full moon was rising. Fuu had been content to watch the fireflies and wait for Mugen and Leiko to return from where ever they'd slipped off to, but Jin was having none of it. He had been doing it all day, even since Leiko had revealed her stolen wealth: cornering Fuu and trying to convince her to talk to Mugen for him. Well, Fuu was sick of it, and she was _not_ going to listen to one more word!

Jin grabbed her wrists and pried her hands away.

"—and the sooner we confront Mugen, the better," he said.

"It's his mom."

"No! She's _not_!"

"Go away, Jin!" cried Fuu, trying to put her hands back over her ears. Jin wrestled with her, not wanting to hurt her but unable to get a good grip without being forceful. Fuu gave a particularly forceful twist, and before either could untangle themselves, they fell backwards over the wall. Jin landed on top of Fuu.

As quietly as shadows, Mugen and Leiko came loping up the street.

"Oh, _gross_!" said Mugen gleefully as Jin rolled off Fuu. "Can't you two cool it for two seconds?"

"It wasn't what it looked like!" protested Jin, straightening his kimono. "We—we fell."

"Sure," said Leiko, rolling her eyes. "You fell." She and Mugen slung their arms around each other and cackled.

Jin's eyes narrowed. Mugen and Leiko gestured and were already walking down the street, automatically keeping in the shadows. Fuu followed innocently after them.

Jin cleared his throat loudly. Mugen didn't look back. "Hurry up!" he demanded.

With a sigh, Jin followed.

"So, here's the plan…" began Mugen when he was sure Fuu and Jin were close by. "I sort of caused a mess, killing those guys, and Mom doesn't need me to call attention to us. So we're gonna go on to the next city, and try to keep a low profile…"

"I'm not sure that's possible," said Fuu doubtfully.

"Yeah, well, I mean…" Mugen scratched the back of his neck. "I _had _to kill them. No one's gonna mess with my mom! But it'd probably be better if we didn't, you know, get cops after her in the first place. Anyways," he added hastily. "You don't have to worry anymore, Mom! Me and Jin'll take good care of you. We're the best bodyguards in Japan!"

"Then how come I keep getting kidnapped?" asked Fuu.

"Shut up."

Jin cleared his throat loudly again. "Mugen, may I talk to you?"

"Sure, go ahead," said Mugen.

"_Privately_?"

"Since when did you care about privacy?" asked Mugen, hopping over a puddle that shimmered silver in the moonlight. "You and Fuu are like flirting all over the place."

"We are not!"

"_She's _not protesting," pointed out Leiko with a backward nod towards Fuu.

"Huh?" asked Fuu, distracted by a firefly. "Oh! Yeah. No, we're not like that."

"I'm not convinced," said Leiko with a malicious little smile. She paused to observe a wind chime hanging from some eaves. She poked them; they tinkled quietly.

"Mugen," said Jin gravely. He jerked his head.

"Oh… _fine_. You're so stupid," griped Mugen. "I'll be right back, okay Mom? Mom?"

"Okay, sweetheart," said Leiko absent-mindedly, untying the silver jangles from the ends of the wind chimes. "Dear, can you help me?" she asked Fuu.

"What? Oh… I don't know…" said Fuu worriedly. "That looks illegal."

"I'm not doing anything wrong," said Leiko. "I'm doing them a favor. It's unlucky to have wind chimes facing the north side of the house. So I'm taking off these little rattly bits. They'll thank me when their fortune suddenly improves."

"But that house is facing west…"

"They're obviously wealthy," continued Leiko. "They hung silver wind chimes out! I bet they won't even notice. I bet they hung them out because they were hoping they'd get stolen, so they could buy even better ones. Now, _help_ me!"

Meekly, Fuu stepped forward and began to help Leiko dissemble the chimes.

* * *

Across the street, Jin had bowed his head and was talking in a low voice to Mugen.

"I know you don't want to hear this," began Jin, "but I think someone needs to tell you. That woman—Leiko—" He hesitated.

Mugen looked at him blankly in the moonlight.

"I don't think she's actually your mother," said Jin finally.

"WHAT!" shouted Mugen. His voice echoed in the empty streets.

"Listen! She arrived under very suspicious circumstances, and there are some serious character flaws that I think—"

Mugen grabbed Jin's shoulders and slammed him against the wall of the nearest building.

"Of course she's my mom!"

"I don't trust her," hissed Jin. "She's obviously a con artist!"

"No she's not! _Look_ at her!"

They turned their heads and looked at Leiko. She was standing innocently across the street, while Fuu dismantled the chimes for her. Leiko waved sweetly. Fuu was too distracted to notice.

"I think your girlfriend's the one we need to watch out for," mumbled Mugen darkly.

"She's not my girlfriend, and Leiko's not your mom!"

"She is too! I know my own mom, you stupid son of a—"

"HEY!" barked a third voice. "What're you doing to my chimes!"

Fuu's head snapped up guilty as a man still in his bedclothes came out of the house. Leiko's eyes widened; she gave Fuu a shove that sent her falling to the ground and, quick as a fox, disappeared around the corner. Mugen let go of Jin.

"THIEF!" yelled the man while Fuu scrambled up. Jin and Mugen ran across the street, hauled her up, and went running after Leiko while the shouting man pursued him.

They didn't stop until they had made it to the edge of the town; they crashed down the ditch of a bank and emerged on the other side, muddy, wet, and cold. Leiko, who'd been far ahead and had time to cross the bridge, picked her nails contentedly. When she saw the three, muddy and panting, she began sniggering.

"You three look _so_ funny," she cackled.

"Oh, shut up," mumbled Jin under his breath, trying to wring out his sleeves.

"Did you get the chimes?"

"What?" asked Fuu tearfully. "No! I dropped them."

Leiko scowled and Fuu sniffled. "Why'd you push me down?"

"I pushed you down?" asked Leiko, sounding surprised. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sure I didn't mean it. I was just so scared… all those big men after me… besides, you're so young and cute, you could get out of anything! But I'm just a little old woman. I'm not half as beautiful as you…"

"You know what you are?" asked Jin crankily. He was sitting in the grass, stripping off his socks to wring them out. "You're manipulative."

Leiko didn't look ashamed. In fact, she looked flattered.

"Hey!" cried Fuu, who, while drying her kimono, noticed some money had gone. "You took my money, didn't you?"

"Me?" said Leiko. "No! Of course not!"

"You probably just dropped it when you fell," added Mugen.

"I didn't fall! She _pushed_ me!"

"Do you see what I mean now?" Jin asked Fuu. Fuu was silent. She wanted to like Leiko but—well. She couldn't believe Leiko had been willing to sacrifice her like that.

"Hey, Romeo and Juliet!" snapped Mugen. "No one's making you stay! I can protect my own mom just fine, but I'm not leaving her! If you wanna go, just _go_ and leave us the hell alone! I'm sick of you bitching constantly!"

"You tell 'em, son!"

"She's not your mother!" yelled Jin as loudly as he dared.

Leiko's eyes immediately watered up. "Of course I'm his mother! He's my son and I love him!"

"She's _using_ you because she's wanted by every shogunate official in the world, and probably some other people too!"

"You're just jealous!" shouted Mugen. "Jealous cause I have a mom, and your mom is dead, and she was probably a bitch anyway!"

Jin jumped up and pulled his sword. "How dare you!" he shouted furiously.

"At least my mom cares enough about me to be here now! At least my mom's not a whore like yours probably—"

Jin and Mugen tumbled to the ground, squalling and clawing at each other, occasionally locking swords, shouting insults about each other's mothers. Fuu hollered and began to try to pry them apart.

"Leiko, help me!" she cried.

Leiko shrugged. "They'll get tired," she said dismissively.

"They'll _kill_ each other!" shrieked Fuu, jumped back as Mugen's sword almost caught her.

Leiko watched the fight with an amused look "Money on Mugen," she said.

Fuu let out a frustrated growl and grabbed her hair, pulling it because she couldn't pull Mugen and Jin apart. Both were so incensed they'd stopped yelled words and were instead simply making noises; their swords were forgotten and they were strangling each other instead. Finally, Mugen gave Jin a sharp knee in the groin. It gave him just enough time to get off Jin, stand, and kick him;Jin went rolling down the ditch and landed in the muddy water.

"_Don't_ mess with my mom!" yelled Mugen triumphantly.

Jin stood, dripping. "Fine," he murmured. "Fine! I'll go! That's what you want, and that's what I'll do! You can play your fool's game and pretend she's your mother, but she's not, and she'll probably end up stabbing you in the back for a couple of momne! Have a good life, Mugen!"

"I will!" shouted Mugen as Jin turned his back and began climbing up the other side of the bank. Fuu watched him, wringing her hands.

"Jin!" she called. "Please don't go! Jin! Come back! _Jin_!"

"Let him go. He's a dick, anyway," muttered Mugen, panting.

Leiko sidled up behind Mugen and put her hands on his shoulders soothingly. "You did good, Mugen," she purred. "We don't need him. He was just getting in our way. We'll be better off without him—if you want to follow your boyfriend, you can," she added as Fuu glared at her. "We won't hold it against you. I know how love is." She fingered a lock of Mugen's hair and smirked at Fuu, as she clenched her fists and watched Jin's receding back. "I'd be careful if I were you, though, girly. Ronins make the worst husbands…"


	9. Signs of Luck, Not

(Author's Note: I'm off hiatus! My computer ate the final three chapters and I had to re-write them, and they're very choppy and not nearly as good. That makes me angry… but here they are anyway.)

_Chapter 8_

Sopping wet and mad as hell, Jin stalked down the road, wringing out his kimono sleeves and ponytail while ignoring the stares of passerbys. How stupid he'd been, to stay with them. To assume they'd listen to him. No one ever listened to him, even when there was indisputable evidence that he was right.

And Mugen… being taken in by that horrid con artist… and Fuu… siding with Mugen. It was enough to make Jin sick.

Well, he resolved, he would just have to walk back to where he was before this whole fiasco. He'd retrace his steps and get back on track. His own track. No more Mugen or Fuu or Kana. He was better off alone, anyway.

As the sun slowly rose and his clothes slowly dried, Jin grew more depressed. So depressed, in fact, that he neglected to watch where he was going, and began to turn down the same street he'd run away from earlier.

"Hey, you! Ronin!"

Jin stopped so abruptly he nearly tripped over his dripping hakama. He looked up guiltily; a balding man was standing under the eves of his house, trying to fix his partially dismantled windchime.

"Your girlfriend tried to steal my windchime!" yelled the man.

"She's not my girlfriend," muttered Jin darkly, but the man ignored his protest and kept shouting.

"She's a lousy thief! And she's not a very good thief, either! She dropped all her money when she fell! But I'm keeping it to compensate for the repairs needed for my chimes! And I'd call the police, too, if I could find them!"

Jin pulled back in surprise. Fuu actually _had_ dropped her money? Jin had just assumed that Leiko was lying when she suggested it; he'd assumed Leiko had stolen it, as usual. So she was telling the truth. But just because she told the truth once didn't mean she was really Mugen's mother.

Fighting with his own emotions, Jin didn't realize the man was still glaring at him.

"You better leave this town soon, ronin! I'm filing a report against you and your trashy girlfriend!"

"She's not my girlfriend!" snapped Jin, but he was already scurrying away to avoid further conflict.

"You better run!" yelled the man after him.

Jin chewed the inside of his lip thoughtfully as he walked back down the road. Dust from the street was settling on his damp clothes and turningh im slowly brown. But he didn't notice. Knowing that Kana at least had the ability to be honest certainly changed things. And.. perhaps he owed it to Fuu to go back. After all, was Fuu safe with Mugen and Kana? Jin wasn't so sure. It was anyone's guess what that moral-lacking rogue was up to…

* * *

"Hee hee! Cricket!" exclaimed Mugen, pouncing after a cricket in the field. It sprang off the tip of the blade of grass it was on, landing on another. Mugen left the path and began wading thruogh the grass after it; Leiko watched, shading her eyes from the sun.

Fuu wandered behind Mugen and Leiko, each step taking her further from Jin and making her doubt herself more and more. Ahead of her, Mugen was springing farther and farther after the cricket.

"Don't worry about him," said Leiko suddenly, turning. "He was a loser. You can do better."

"I've never even really had a real boyfriend," said Fuu. "Er—not that he's my boyfriend!"

"If he really cared about you, he'd have come back. But he hasn't, has he? Nope," said Leiko. Just in front of her, Mugen jumped across the path in hot pursuit of the terrified cricket.

"The cricket is a sign of good luck," said Fuu.

"DIE, CRICKET!" yelled Mugen, trying to stomp on it.

"Never mind," sighed Fuu. She turned and looked behind her, hoping to see Jin. But she couldn't. The sun was making the whole field appear wavy.

"Er… Leiko? Can I ask you something?" asked Fuu hesitantly.

"Sure."

"Um… you know how you said you didn't like seafood? Well… um… isn't seafood pretty much… a staple of a Ryuukuuian diet?"

"Yeah, well, that's why I'm sick of it," said Leiko, eyes narrowly. "That ronin really poisoned your mind, huh? I never trusted him."

"GOTCHA!" yelled Mugen, on the other side of the field. For a moment he stood triumphetly, waist-deep in the grass. Then, a cricket jumped away, and with a groan Mugen sprang after it.

"I hope he comes back," muttered Fuu, mostly to herself, looking back. More and more, she was wondering why she hadn't gone with Jin.

"Of course he won't," said Leiko.

Fuu squinted. Was that…?

"He is!" she cried suddenly. "Look, there he is! Mugen! Leiko! Stop!"

Both stopped and turned. Fuu jumped up and down and pointed to the silhouette on the horizon. Mugen waded over to the women, brow furrowed with concentration. The relieved cricket hopped away.

"Uhh… Fuu? That's not Jin," said Mugen slowly. "Jin isn't multiple people."

"Uh-oh," said Leiko.

"Uh-oh," agreed Fuu.

Mugen was already unsheathing his sword. "You guys go, and I'll fight them off."

"You're such a good son," said Leiko, kissing his cheek. "Just in case you get captured, Mommy went west, okay?"

"Gotcha."

Leiko turned and, without a backward glance at Mugen, began hurrying toward the nearest group of trees for cover.

"Don't you feel bad about putting him in danger?" panted Fuu, hurrying after her.

"Mmm… nope! I don't even know him, do I?" asked Leiko, diving into the underbrush.

"He's your _son_!" cried Fuu in horror. Leiko just shrugged, hunkering down in the leaves. Fuu settled next to her and tried to see Mugen through the leaves, but it was impossible. She finally gave up and sat there, wishing Jin were around.

"Stop breathing so loud," whispered Leiko after a moment.

"Me? I'm not the one who's breathing loud."

"Yes you are. You sound like a 300-pound-man."

"No I don't! You're the one who's making all those little grunting—" Fuu stopped suddenly. Slowly, she turned around. Slowly, Leiko copied her.

They found themselves face-to-face with a hulking, bearded man wearing very official clothes.

"Hello, ladies," he said.

"Oh, shit," said Leiko.


	10. Unlocked and Uncovered

_Chapter 10_

When Leiko got shoved into the cell with Fuu and Mugen, Mugen immediately jumped up to greet her.

"Mom!" he cried anxiously. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you? If they hurt you I'll kill them! I'll bust open their skulls! I swear!"

"Mugen," said Leiko grouchily. "Please don't volunteer to help me anymore, okay? I'm down a bag of diamonds thanks to you."

Mugen's shoulders slouched. "Geez," he mumbled. "You had a whole freakin' army after you. I tried."

"Hmph," said Leiko angrily, sitting on the slimy stone floor.

Fuu was pretty sure they were in some kind of basement, because the cell they were in had a very dinstinctive, underground-type sliminess to it. According to Mugen, half of whose face had swelled up from his earlier fight, the slime felt really good on bruises, but Fuu hadn't yet tried it herself.

"You'd think they never had anyone accidentally steal diamons before, the way they reacted," grumbled Leiko after a moment.

"Yeah," agreed Mugen immediately.

"I mean… geez… if you leave a pair of clothes just lying on a table right next to an open window, someone's probably going to steal it, right?" asked Leiko.

"Definitely," said Mugen.

"Hey, wait!" cried Fuu slowly, turning to look at Leiko. "I thought the clothes were hanging in the window! Not lying on a table!"

"Er… did I say hanging? Well… yes… yes, they were hanging over a table. That's what I said."

"No it's not! Mugen!" cried Fuu, turning. Mugen was lying on the sticky floor, one leg crossed over the other, rubbing a cut on his arm.

"Huh? I wasn't listening."

"I think Jin was right about you!" hissed Fuu. "You really are just a con artist!"

"Hey! Leave her alone!" yelled Mugen, jumping up.

"HEY! All three of you, knock it off! Mugen! Fuu! Kana!" yelled the guard.

"Her name's Leiko!" Mugen yelled back.

"Kana!" yelled Fuu and the guard.

"Leiko!"

"Kana!" The guard, a short, pudgy, squinty-eyed man, came stomping over to the door of their cell. "I don't know where you got this Leiko nonsense, but her name is Kana!"

"Actually, it _is _Leiko,"said Leiko. "Here, let me show you my tattoo." She walked over to the bars, stuck out her arm, pulled up her sleeve… and proceeded to punch the guard in the throat. With a choking noise. He fell to his knees. Leiko wasted no time in grabbing the keys, undoing the lock on their cell, and slipping out. She closed the door behind her before grabbing the guard's sword and hitting him over the head with it.

"Go mom!" cried Mugen.

"Hey!" said Fuu, rattling the cell door. "You locked up back in! Leiko!"

"Shut up," snapped Leiko. "You're being too loud. You'll call other guards here."

"Shut up!" echoed Mugen, clamping a hand over Fuu's mouth while Leiko, kneeling over the guard's body, riffled through his pockets.

"Well," said Leiko, cramming money into her pockets. "See ya!"

"Wait!" cried Mugen. "The keys!"

"The keys? Oh, yes, the keys. I'm sorry, sweetheart, you'd just slow me down," said Leiko, tossing the keys onto the nearest table, far from Mugen and Fuu's reach.

"_Mom_!" cried Mugen, letting go of Fuu.

"You lousy double-crossing, no-good Ryuukuuian!" yelled Fuu.

"Actually," said Leiko, "I've never been to Ryuukuu. Sorry. Well… bye!"

With that, she turned and dashed away. Mugen stared for a moment, blinking. Then, slowly, he sat down cross-legged right where he was.

"Mugen?" asked Fuu hesitantly.

"She… that… she wasn't my mom?" Mugen's brow furrowed. "But… how… she… that can't be possible. She… she liked me."

"Oh, Mugen," said Fuu quietly, kneeling next to him. "I like you, and I'm not your mom."

"But I thought—" Mugen shook his head and scratched his hair

"I think maybe… you just really, really wanted her to be your mom," said Fuu quietly, reaching out to touch Mugen's arm. He yanked away.

"Don't touch me! Just leave me alone, okay?"

"Okay," said Fuu, retreating to the back of the cell.

* * *

"Mugen?" asked Fuu about ten minutes later. "Will you _please_ stop feeling sorry for yourself and help me try to pick this lock?" 

"What's the point?" said Mugen, lying with his chin on his hands, staring gloomily through the cell bars.

"Come _on_, Mugen," pleaded Fuu, rattling one of her hair ornaments inside the lock, trying to pick it unsuccessfully. "She was a con artist. She's probably tricked lots of people."

"I should've known better."

"Mugen," begged Fuu, as she heard her hair ornament breaking inside the lock. Momo peeked out of her sleeve, then scampered down her kimono and through the cell bars. Fuu forgot all about the lock and dropped to her knees. "Momo!" she hissed. "Come back! Don't you go away, too! _Momo_!"

"I can't believe Jin was right," said Mugen morosely.

"Momo!" called Fuu desperately. She froze as she heard footsteps approaching. "Oh, no!" She jumped up, grabbed her hair ornament from the lock, and hurried to the back of the cell. There was nothing she could do about the guard lying in front of the bars. They were going to be in huge trouble.

Mugen just sighed.

The footsteps echoed against the slimy stone walls. Fuu covered her eyes and peeked through them. Another guard hurried briskly over to the fallen one. He knelt and pressed two fingers against the man's neck, then turned and looked into the cell. Fuu squeezed her eyes shut.

"How did you kill him?" asked a very familiar voice.

Fuu's eyes snapped over. She looked up at the guard. He pulled off his helmet and shook out a mane of black hair.

"_Jin_? But—how—where—Jin!" cried Fuu, jumping up. She ran to the bars and tried to hug him through them.

"I think this is yours,"said Jin, holding up a chittering Momo. Fuu grabbed her and crammed the squirrel back into her kimono, then kissed Jin. He immediately turned red and pulled away coughing.

"Aw, gross," whined Mugen, getting heavily to his feet. "You guys just can't put a lid on it, can you?"

"The keys are over there!" said Fuu hurriedly, pointing through the bars at the guard's table, across from their cell. "Leiko—I mean, Kana—she got out and she left us here! But—but how did you get here, Jin?"

"I was following you ever since you were captured," muttered Jin, concentrating on finding the right key on the ring. "I'd have come sooner, but I had to find a guard whose clothes would fit me."

"Why'd you come to rescue us?" asked Mugen suspiciously.

Jin unlocked the cell and pulled open the door. "I don't know. Perhaps I felt sorry for you." Mugen's eyes narrowed, but all was forgiven was Jin handed voer hs sword and metal-soled geta. "Shall we?" he asked.

Fuu grabbed his arm earnestly in reply. Mugen, however, looked back into the cell with what was almost a look of longing.


	11. Out There Waiting, Reprise

(Author's Note: I'm aware that there are actually two chapter sevens. Cut me some slack; I have dyscalculia and I almost always mess up the numbering. Sorry!)

_Chapter 11_

Jin's hair disappeared underneath his official shogun helmet once more, and his natural authoritative scowl completed the look. With a hand on Fuu's shoulder, and a hand on Mugen's, he marched the two up a narrow and ricketly wooden staircase, out of their prison and into a narrow but well-lit hall, where officials in foral kimonoes hurried past on clean tatami mats, some dictating letters to assistants as they walked. A few gave Jin strange looks, but Jin calmly locked the prison door behind him and continued to escort Mugen and Fuu out.

"This seem really easy," whispered Fuu nervously.

"Shh! You'll jinx us!" hissed Mugen.

"You don't really believe in jinxes, do you?" asked Fuu. She started to roll her eyes, but it was too late; someone was already calling, "Hey! You!"

Jin turned. "Yes?"

"Where do you think you're taking those two?" demanded another guard, walking up to them. Fuu shook; beside her, Mugen stiffened.

"To be interrogated," said Jin without batting an eyelash. "The third one escaped. As her consorts, they probably know the location of her whereabouts. I'm acting on the orders of the captain."

"What captain is that?" asked the other guard suspiciously. "And where's the other guard? You know it takes two people to escort prisoners to interrogation. What did you say your name was?"

"Er…" began Jin. Without further ado, he and Mugen yanked out their swords and sliced at the man. Jin's sword sank into the base of his neck and shoulder from the right; Mugen's sank into the base of his neck and shoulder from the left. The swords met somewhere in his chest, and the guard only managed to open his mouth and exhale once before his head, neck, and most of his shoulder fell away from his body.

All the unaramed officials in the hall screamed. Their assistants dropped their papers and brushes and began running.

"Let's go!" yelled Jin and Mugen in unison. Fuu didn't need telling twice. The three pelted through the halls, jumping over cowering bureaucrats and slicing through shoji screens. They had just turned left down a corridor and could see a door leading out into a little garden when four guards stepped out in front of them.

All three stopped in their tracks.

"You just never get tired of causing trouble, do you, boy?" asked one of them.

"No," sneered Mugen. "I don't." He leaped for the guards, cutting one across the stomach, spinning, and thrusting his sword through a second one's neck. Fuu squealed at the sound of Mugen's sword meeting another, and buried her face into Jin's chest. Jin patted her back.

Meanwhile, Mugen had just managed to throw one of them through a shoji screen when he froze, the sword of the last man pressed firmly against his throat.

"We have no need for murderers in Japan," he growled, pulling back slightly and preparing to kill Mugen.

Jin yanked off his helmet and threw it. It hit the guard squarely in the head; he let out a confused groan, swayed, and fell to the ground in a heap.

"Ronin have no need for helmets," retorted Jin.

Mugen sheathed his sword. "C'mon," he said dismissively, not bothering to thank Jin.

The three squeezed out the door at the same time and ran across the terrance towards the garden. On patrol, guards everywhere ran after them, some shouting at them to stop, others savin their breath in an attempt to catch up. But they were too late; Mugen, Jin, and Fuu had already cut across a half-dozen flower beds, several neatly raked Zen gardens, and jumped into the moat that was the only thing seperating them from their freedom. They emerged on the other side soaking wet and still running.

Fuu dared to glance back. The building they'd been in, she had to admit, was lovely. It was a castle, with beautiful red and gold eaves and torii gates at all of the entrances.

As soon as they had run a safe distance, they stopped, panting. Mugen kneeled over, hands on his knees, panting. Jin began pulling off his wet, stolen clothes.

"That sure was a pretty castle," Fuu decided to share. "It was too bad we only saw the basement."

"Fuu… did you get hit in the head?" asked Mugen. A long string of drool escaped from his mouth. He spat it on the ground.

"Ew! Mugen!"

"Vulgar!" muttered Jin.

Mugen straightened up and wiped his mouth. He looked critically from Jin to Fuu. "Well," he said, cramming his hands in his pockets. "I guess that sucked, huh?"

"Yes, it did suck, and it was all your fault!" yelled Fuu.

Mugen scratched the back of his neck. "That fucking woman said she was my mother," he said unhappily. Fuu's anger ebbed, replaced with pity for Mugen.

"Oh… Mugen, I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I know you really wanted to find her."

"Aw… whatever, it doesn't matter," said Mugen, looking up at the sky. "I bet that Mom's probably doing some conning too. So I guess I sort of got what I wanted… sort of... I dunno."

"I'm sure she'd be proud of you, Mugen," said Jin. He said it sarcastically, but Mugen looked pleased.

"Yeah. Yeah, I bet so," said Mugen.

"So what do we do now?" wondered Fuu.

"Well, we're not done with my quest, that's what!" said Mugen. "We've still got to find her, don't we?"

"Oh, Mugen…" groaned Jin. "No! Absolutely not, that's simply… it's ridiculous!"

"Hey, shut up, pretty-boy!" snapped Mugen. "You're gonna help me, too! You have to!"

"What possible reason could obligate me to help you?" demanded Jin, wringing out his ponytail.

"Because Fuu's gonna help me, and you won't leave your girlfriend!" cried Mugen victoriously.

Fuu and Jin both blushed. "We're not dating!" they shouted together.

"Yeah, right," said Mugen, rolling his eyes. Cheerfully twirling his sword, he began to saunter down the street. "Come on, love muffins! I haven't got all day! We've got to go find my mom!"

"Aww," said Fuu. She tugged Jin's arm. "You have to admit… it's sort of sweet."

"…SO I CAN PUNCH HER IN THE FACE!" yelled Mugen ahead of them.

_THE END_


End file.
